Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Fretless Guitar Questions

It is a fingerboard. This is a common term for the boards on violins and other instruments that do not have frets.

Is the neck less heavy than a fretted guitar?

We’ve never done a comparison of two similar necks, one fretted and one not, but the fretless guitar neck should weigh less because frets are metal and have some weight to them. Of course, there’s a lot of things that influence the weight of a neck beyond the presence of frets.

Do I need a special amp or anything else for my Smoothboard fretless guitar?

You’ll want to use commonly available flatwound strings, but other than that, standard amps, cords, straps, picks, effects, etc. all work great for the fretless guitar. The difference is there’s no frets in the fingerboard.

General Smoothboard Questions

I’m fascinated by fretless guitar but have never played one. What is your return policy?

We have a 30 day return policy. If you aren’t satisfied with your guitar for any reason, even "Now I know fretless guitar isn’t for me!", send it back in new condition and we’ll refund the purchase price minus shipping. We want you to be happy.

Do you guys have a message board?

No, but we recommend the forum at unfretted.com. They’re great guys over there with a genuine love for fretless guitars.

No. They’ll eat into the rosewood fingerboard slowly after time due to the texture of the strings. We ship the guitars with flatwound strings for this exact reason. Use flatwound strings.

Is there some way to coat my fingerboard so I can use roundwound strings on the guitar?

Yes. There are a variety of durable epoxies on the market that should work. I don’t have any experience here and can’t name any specifics. Applying them to your guitar will void your warranty, though.

I dig my Smoothboard guitar and would like a fretted version of my guitar. Can I get one?

It certainly isn’t in the plans. We’re serious about this whole fretless thing.

Smoothboard Classic specific questions

I’d like to swap out the pickups on my Smoothboard Classic. Are they standard sized?

Yes. The neck and middle single coil pickups are the same size as those used on a Fender Stratocaster and the bridge humbucker is a wider standard humbucker size (F spacing).

Are the tuners a standard size?

Yes, they are the industry standard Gotoh size.

Is the Classic available in different finish colors?

Not at this time. If there’s a color you’d like to see, let us know by sending an email to frazier@smoothboard.com. The only finish the Classic is available in at this time is a tasteful, classic burst.

Why does the Classic have a hardtail bridge instead of a tremolo bridge like that style of guitar typically has?

There are two reasons we use a hardtail bridge:

Added sustain.

The tremolo bridge didn’t seem necessary since there’s not fret limitations on the neck